Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-02

| against the management OF the penlten-
tisry should not be passed over in silence.
They were preferred by al ex-convict it
is true, but this is no evidence
that they are unquslifedly false.
The testimony Of an ex-conVict is
not convincing, to be sure, but it is the
only evidence available. if complaints
are made at'sll, they must be made by
this class Of people. Certainly no one
whose tenure of cfti;e depends on the
good will of the powers that be will sscri-
fee himself By sscribing wrong-doing to
those who dole out his rations. Reports
Of this kind must come from the conyicts
themselves, and it is no answer 10 the
charges to say that they are utterances OF
an eX-COnvict. We know tnat guards
and officers have almost unlimited power
over Convicts, and we know that unre-
strained power breeds and fosters tyranny
and oppression. 1t is fact woven in the
texture Of human nature, and we cannot
remove it. Ordinary intelligence should
public sentiment the guards and officers
have everything in their favor while the
convict GCcusers have everything against
them, save the peoples inherent love of
Justice AID natural disposition to take
the side of the under dog in the fight.
We know that bad men-men who are
capable of any crime, are iGcarcerated,
and that it is difficult matter to control
them, and also that guards are only hu-
man like other people, and are liable to
err. We know that lessees OF convict
labor have On interest only in the
amount of work they can get out
Of each man, and that philsn
thropy finds small, if any, abiding
place in the realms of cold, practical
business. We should recollect that
charges Of this character are easily made,
difficult to defend and mere difficult to
prove. Thus the questions arising on
each side of en- investigation renders 1t
Overwhelmingly complex and difficult to
dispose of. There is perhaps not gen
tleman in Texas in whose honesty, integ- |
Tity ard humanity more faith is reposed |
by the people than the superintendent Of |
prisons, Colonel J. T. Gorce. He has
been 9. the head of the prison management |
Tor a number of years and no complaint |
has ever been heard OF his conduct |
Some Of the most estimable gentlemen |
and best citizens in the state are associ-
eted with him in the management Of our
conyiCts, and al Join in deny
ing ard denouacing the charge.
But it is fact that out of
the very cxubersnce of this universal
suspicion springs startled at
the first note Of complaint. What if that
faith had been misplaced, What if blind
confidence should be usurping the place
of intelligent conviction! What if the
estimates Of the past upon which our be-
liefs have been founded should prove
erroneous, and that what appeared SO
fair TO look npon was only Yeneering
which covered internal filth and foulness
with q pleasant exterior, These ideas
suggest themselves TO the mind and give
rise to approximations which refuse 10 be
quoted by the arrogant depials or formal
atiidavits Of those charged with the de-
linquencies. Justice demands that all
when even remotely founded
should receive q thorough examination,
and that the circumstances should be
looked into with scrutiny. Com
nittees selected for their known
abilities il the embarrassing" line can
not satisfy the people with stereotyped
report. Inspectors whose coming is her
aided and who see the convlcts in Sun
lay attire and witness them devour the
feast are OF little value If
are discovered they are sell
ION fully exposed because any report
upon the management would
eventuate in the summary dis
nissal of the communicative official. 1t
s therefore necessary that some other
means be devised for securing correct
iata. JunketiDg committees are useless.
While The GAZETTE has unbounded con-
idaIce in the excellence of the manage
nent of our conYic.s, there IS minority
Who do not share in the opinion.
nd the horrors OF prisons in other ,
states exposed after years of successful
,oEceslment and in spite Of the frequent
gives them cause for
alarm and basis for unfavorable specu-
alton which should be removed. What
las been written about the convict sys-
EN- applies with equal force to other
tate institutions. The last Legislature
made some unssvory discoveries in con-
lection with some of the eleemosynRry :
Institutions at the capital, and, while it
vas attempted to be proven that "the
,ther fellow" was the guilty party, the
act that disgreceful irregularities can be {
arried on in Texas remains. t
IT would appear that the boom that t